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Navigating college as a first-generation college student can feel like making your way through a maze with no map, filled with “learn as you go” lessons, and “crap, I wish I knew this then.” When you combine that with being low-income, it can feel like you’re navigating the same maze blindfolded, on a tightrope, balancing multiple responsibilities. It should not be like this.

I started OSU in 2008 and graduated with my masters in 2014. Recently, I returned to OSU to serve as the first ever Basic Needs Navigator at the HSRC. My role boils down to connecting students to resources that help ensure basic needs are being met. I also support students as they navigate institutional policies and procedures in search of resources.

At the end of the day, I am most concerned with connecting students to resources (this often means $$$), so they may only worry about studying for midterms, not about how they will eat or pay for rent. Since July, I’ve helped students access over $161,500 dollars in resources. Keep reading to learn how I can help alleviate financial stress.

Above are some common ways I help students access $$

I know firsthand how difficult it is to navigate college on your own. Of seven siblings, I was the first one to attend college. I have one memory in particular about my transition to OSU, no matter how far removed I am from it, I feel what I felt then by just thinking about it. 10 years ago, I was walking across from where my office is now, Champinefu Lodge, eating cheerios out of the box- it was the only thing I had eaten that day. I had no money to buy anything else. Out of the blue, I began to sob as I stuffed handfuls of Cheerios into my mouth. It was 10pm, dark with no lighting, I assumed no one would see me cry. I had never felt so alone in my life. Not knowing where to go or who to turn to for help, I felt like I had no choice but to get through this experience alone. “Who else would be experiencing this in college?”I thought to myself.

The reality was that I was not alone in my experience. Of the 970 OSU students who applied to the Food Assistance Application in the Fall of 2018, 54% percent were “very-low food secure” as determined by USDA’s Definition, with 18% of applicants reporting to have gone an entire day in the past 12 months without eating because of financial concerns. That is 172 students, 42% higher than last year when 117 students reported that!

I was not alone in my experience back then, and you are not alone in your experience today, WE SEE YOU! The HSRC is here to help.

What can I help you with?

Almost anything! I’m kind of like a generalist who is pretty savvy about finding things out and navigating resources. I get paid to navigate, it’s literally in my title! If I do not know the answer to your question, I know the person who does & I will walk you over to meet them (unless it’s raining. I can’t do wet socks). Here are some common things I can often help with:

Access to food & groceries

Unforeseen emergency expense causing barriers to enrollment

Tuition refund due to an extenuating circumstance

Lost scholarships due to unforeseen circumstances

Finding help paying for utility bills

Signing up for Oregon Health Plan

Grant money!- parent lost a job/financial situation does not reflect that of 2016 tax year?

Financial Assistance with a medical bill/emergency

Pell/financial aid running out a few terms away from graduation!

Hard time making ends meet

Feeling like you are a bill away from homelessness

Place to stay- homeless or housing insecure

Financial stress!

Why should you come see me?

“Miguel came in clutch when I needed help with resolving a hold I had on my account.” – HSRC student fall 2018

I helped 120-ish students access over $161,000 since I started in July. You might be missing out on resources that you would otherwise be receiving. Looking back at my college experience, I identified over $10,000 dollars that I missed out on because of bad advising or not being aware of resources. I will do everything I can to try to make surethat you will leave our meeting with knowledge of at least one new to you resource ($$) that you have access to, if not more.

Don’t take my word for it. Here are what your peers have to say:

I will try my hardest to figure things out together

“I took your advice… and I was awarded a scholarship of $1360 to cover my balances. As of right now, I have been able to sign up for a few of my classes…. I am forever grateful”

“Miguel’s best quality is empathy, he connects with the student in a way that he feels the student’s pain and stress, this leads him to want to fight and resolve the issues!…”

You might leave with a lot more than what you came in for

“Miguel has your back. Not only will he help you with what you’re seeing him about, but if he overhears another concern he will help with that too.”

“…Meet with Miguel about financial aid, food stamps and finding other financial help. He helped me so much!!! I really appreciate him”

Wrap around support in a supportive space

“Going into these types of meeting can be difficult because suddenly you are talking about yourself and the difficulty of your situation, which is hard to talk about in itself…Miguel works with you to meet you in a spot that you leave with a plan or next move and is focused on your overall well-being and your individual needs.”

“Miguel is very understanding and knowledgeable. He’ll ask you questions to get a full understanding of your situation without prying for any personal detail. He’s really pleasant and easy to talk to.”

I am here to support you!

You should not feel alone in your experience. College and academics are hard as it is- financial stress is the wrong kind of rigor many student face. Let me work alongside you to make it a little less stressful by connecting you to resources.

Please help us spread the word about this opportunity at the Human Services Resource Center: We are looking for three students to help us with various projects through the rest of the academic year – our existing staff is overwhelmed and overstretched and we need more students to help us serve students!

All positions will be cross-trained heavily to help where needed. For the first term or two, all of these roles can expect to do a lot of the following:

Working at our front desk, learning how to assist students with basics, answer common questions

Basic food pantry operations: how to make a food box, helping with deliveries, helping with food pantry nights/shopping days

Cross training and basic collaboration with other HSRC student team members

These three positions will also fall into one of the following three individual roles:

Food Pantry Assistant: This person will provide additional support to food pantry projects, assisting the Food Pantry Organizer with needed tasks, but generally mostly supporting the HSRC Food Pantry. This would be a really great role for a student interested in food justice, food sovereignty, nutrition, food security, health promotion, retail/merchandising, non-profits, etc.

Textbook Lending Program Assistant: the student who currently oversees the HSRC Textbook Lending Program will be graduating in May and we are hoping that the student hired into this role can work alongside current staff to learn processes and help make a transition to a new student staff as seamless as possible. This role is one of the most technical we have – it involves some database work, pulling some reports, and some skill with Microsoft excel (more than your average student may know). This would be a really great role for a student interested in technology, engineering, business/operations, etc. Any other student, interested in justice or educational access, and who isn’t afraid of learning new, somewhat intimidating computer skills/processes would also be well suited to this role.

Events and Programming Assistant: This person will help plan events and workshops at the HSRC as we built out having more conversations about socioeconomic identity, classism and as we provide more skills workshops for our students (cooking classes, budgeting etc). This would be a good role for any student who wants to plan events and is interested in economic justice, social justice and/or topics related to food security, housing affordability and the challenges of being under-resourced while in college.

We hope and anticipate that students hired into these roles, if successful will be asked to return in subsequent years, possibly in other staff roles pursuant to the student’s interests and strengths.

The HSRC anticipates paying these students $11.75 to start and if they return to their role next year, it’s likely that they’ll then be earning $12.75.

Students must apply though the OSU jobs page for each position they are interested in. First priority for review of applications will be Dec 1 – we are hoping to hire and have these staff in place by start of Winter term.

My major is Liberal Studies, with the theme of Human Rights and Government. Liberal Studies is a program where you can design your own major by creating a plan with 2+ majors in it. I’m currently studying Ethnic Studies, Women Gender and Sexuality Studies as well as Political Science. I bring this up because my major is an intersectional lens on how government systems can affect marginalized communities. The Human Services Resource Center is financially supported through Oregon State University, which is a federally funded institution that works with multiple minority groups, and identities unique to a university like first-generation students. In my major, I learn about textbook definitions of poverty, homelessness, race, gender, sex, sexuality and many other identities. At the Human Services Resource Center, I see these situations actually happen in front of my eyes. They don’t always appear the way classes say they do.

Since working at the HSRC, I’ve noticed that people from all walks of life come in to use the food pantry, the textbook lending program, laundry facilities, or meet with our Basic Needs coordinator. There is no uniform, cookie-cutter description for what food insecurity looks like. My position is the Food Pantry Volunteer Liasion, I work directly with volunteers and train them how to stock the pantry or how to work food pantry days. I work with university organizations to host food drives or bringing in more regular volunteers. I walk clients through the pantry and explain our point system and every time it’s a different experience. I make emergency food boxes for people who come in. The one huge lesson, I’ve really taken away is that struggling materializes in many different ways. It’s not always the people who’d think it is. Often times, especially with college students, food insecurity and houselessness are invisible. It’s sometimes easy to hide that you need help. This has taught me that there is never a wrong time to tell people about the Human Services Resource Center.

P.S. If you’re reading this, November of 2018, we have a surplus of all kinds of squash at Champinefu Lodge. Please come get some free squash.

Career Aspirations: I intend to work within higher education, focusing on gender equity, sexual assault/coercion, and male identity development. Where exactly and in what capacity, is yet to be determined.

Why did you want to work at the HSRC? I spent 6 1/2 years with Jackson Street Youth Services, working with youth and young adults facing basic needs insecurity in Linn, Benton, and Lincoln Counties. I could not turn down the chance to continue this work, with students facing similar situations. I also believe that basic needs are a right and when students struggle with them they struggle with succeeding as students. I believe a solid education is the solution to most of the world’s problems, so I was excited to help students achieve that.

What will you be working on? I help supervise our student staff, assist with Poverty Action Week (formerly H&H Week), establish and maintain partnerships with community members from OSU and Corvallis, handle various office responsibilities regarding Champinefu Lodge, recruiting for our Advisory Board, etc.

What do you like to do in your free time? I spend as much time as possible with friends. But I also really enjoy TV and movies as well as playing video games. I try to find time to do homework as well.

What’s your favorite yummy and cheap meal that you like to make? I really like eating chips with tuna fish mixed with black beans and hot sauce. Treating it like a dip. Try it, thank me later.

Do you have any tips for students on how to save money? I grocery shop at WINCO, exclusively. Their bulk section is the best in Corvallis for the price. I try to walk or bike most days and utilize the FREE BUS SERVICE. I also share streaming accounts with friends so we don’t all have to pay for the entertainment.

What are you favorite things to do in Corvallis? I enjoy going to the movies, concerts, and the myriad of local events here in Corvallis.

Where is your favorite spot to relax on campus? I really enjoy the Student Involvement Lounge in the SEC, as well as the library. Also the student lounge in Bexel is quite cozy.

What is your favorite TV show and why? My list is quite long but my absolute favorites: Bob’s Burgers; Queer Eye; Scrubs; Parks and Rec; South Park; Shameless; and American Horror Story. Just to name a few. I really enjoy comedies and very layered dramas.

Career aspirations: I keep changing my mind about this but, currently I would want to work in Food and Agriculture research, using science and technology to address the world’s food and agriculture challenges.

Why did you want to work at the HSRC?

I first learned about the HSRC when I had just transferred to Oregon State University. I wanted a job that would give me the opportunity to connect with other students and the Corvallis community. I also wanted to be able to make a positive impact by joining the fight against hunger and poverty on campus, so HSRC was just right for me!

What will you be working on?

I will be working on cooking classes! I love cooking, and learning new things in the kitchen. I’m also looking forward to having more conversation and discussions about classism, food insecurity and several other topics during the classes.

What do you like to do in your free time?

I am always down for a Netflix Binge. I also really like cooking and trying to recreate some of my mom’s recipes (doesn’t always go well).

Favorite yummy and cheap meal:

Black bean Chili and rice. This is one of those meals that I grew up on. I think it’s always really easy to make,really yummy and filling. Also, for one of the cooking classes we had during Spring term we made a really quick and easy bread recipe! The bread always goes really with the black bean chili!

What are your favorite things to do in Corvallis?

I really like trying out new restaurants and walking around downtown especially over the summer!

Favorite TV show?

I have quite a couple, but my current favorite is Mr. Robot. It’s a show that follows a young man who is computer programmer by day but a vigilante hacker by night. He’s trying to bring down multinational corporate companies that he believes are running and ruining the world by hacking them. (He’s kind of like a modern day robin hood.)It’s easily one of the best things I’ve ever watched, the writing is really good and the actors do a really good job giving life to the characters.

2. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in now empty skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Brown chicken lightly, 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to plate.

5. Continue to cook orzo until al dente and creamy, 2-5 minutes, stirring in additional broth, 1 tablespoon at a time as needed to loosen consistently. Stir in spinach, 1 handful at a time, until wilted about 2 minutes. Stir in feta and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve chicken with orzo.

URGENT FOOD RECALL

Oct 4, 2018 – JBS Tolleson, Inc., a Tolleson, Ariz. establishment, is recalling approximately 6,937,195 pounds of various raw, non-intact beef products that may be contaminated with Salmonella Newport, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced today.

For more information and to view a list of the products please visit this site: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/recalls-and-public-health-alerts/recall-case-archive/archive/2018/recall-085-2018-release

The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. 267” inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped to retail locations and institutions nationwide. These products may have been distributed through the Oregon Food Bank Network.

FSIS advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160°F. Other cuts of beef should be cooked to a temperature of 145 °F and allowed to rest for at least 3 minutes. The only way to confirm that ground beef or other cuts of beef are cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature, http://1.usa.gov/1cDxcDQ.

Consumers with questions regarding the recall can contact the JBS USA Consumer Hotline at (800) 727-2333.

About Oregon Food Bank

Oregon Food Bank works to eliminate hunger and its root causes… because no one should be hungry. Oregon Food Bank believes that hunger starves the human spirit, that communities thrive when people are nourished, and that everyone deserves healthy and fresh food. Oregon Food Bank helps feed the human spirit of 740,000 people through a food distribution network of 21 regional food banks serving Oregon and Clark County, Washington. Oregon Food Bank also leads statewide efforts to increase resources for hungry families and to eliminate the root causes of hunger through public policy, local food systems work, nutrition and garden education, health care screening and innovative programming. Find out how to feed the human spirit at oregonfoodbank.org.

Career Aspirations: My career goal is to become a primary care physician for low income and/or migrant working families.

Why did you want to work at the HSRC? I wanted to work with HSRC because the help they provide the community is inspiring. I believe everyone should have access to everyday needs. I want to help make a difference through the work I do and HSRC allows me to do that.

What will you be working on? I will be working on creating and planning events on campus that helps promote the work we do here at HSRC. I will also be working closely with other clubs, cultural centers, and organizations to plan these events.

What do you like to do in your free time? I enjoy creating new makeup looks and doing makeup on others. Also, I collect hip hop albums and vinyls.

What’s your favorite yummy and cheap meal that you like to make? My favorite cheap meal to make would be grilled cheese sandwiches. I throw in some ham or spinach too.

Do you have any tips for students on how to save money? I am a huge fan of planning and budgeting. I have a journal that I use to calculate all my expenses and making sure I am within my budget. Also, when shopping I try to look for the best price possible, so take your time when shopping.

What are you favorite things to do in Corvallis? I enjoy going out to eat with friends and exploring new places around town.

Where is your favorite spot to relax on campus? My favorite spot to relax on campus would be Waldo hall because there are always treats out for people and it’s a great study area.

What is your favorite show and why? My favorite show is The Office because the zoom ins of the characters’ reactions always make me laugh!

Major/minor: My major is Kinesiology with an option in Pre-therapy and Allied Health and a minor in Business and Entrepreneurship.

Career Aspirations: My end goal is to become a Physical Therapist and work with young athletes and/or kids in order to help them recover from their injuries.

Why did you want to work at the HSRC? The HSRC is able to provide basic human need to many students including myself. I wanted to be apart of a team that has had such a big impact on students lives. Also, being able to see how each of our resources is helping student achieve their academic goals reminds me that I am part of a team that is making a difference people’s lives.

What will you be working on this year?I will be the liaison for the HSRC at all of the student fee committee meetings and will also attend all advisor board meetings. Additionally, I will be assisting with the SNAP Ambassador Program.

What do you like to do in your free time? During my free time I enjoy hanging out with friends. I also, enjoy binge watching shows on Netflix.

Do you have any tips for students on how to save money? I use pocket points (an app) to get a Dutch Bros coffee for 2 dollars. Additionally, I try really hard not to purchase food on-campus.

What are your favorite things to do in Corvallis? In Corvallis, there is not a lot of activities to do but, I do like to try new places to eat around town.

What is your favorite spot to relax on campus? I enjoy studying and hanging out at the Student Experience Center (SEC). The SEC is a beautiful building full of colors and natural lighting.

What is your favorite TV show and why? I watch a lot of TV so, I have way too many. However, during the summer my favorite is Big Brother. I’ve been watching it for years now so, feel the obligation to watch it every summer.